Thicker than water
by MinnieLover
Summary: Twilight crosses a powerful pony and pays dearly in the process.
1. Chapter 1

The purple mare walked down a filthy, deserted alleyway, head hanging low but still on the alert for signs of danger. Finding nopony there, she turned around and kept walking down the quiet streets. She traveled deeper into the heart of the city until she found what she was looking for. It was a seedy, loud neighborhood that practically screamed danger, especially to a smart, sheltered pony like she was, or had been, at least. She fought with her own fear and fatigue, determined in her mission to find a particular kind of pony. The kind that walks in shadows, who can slip away easily if trouble pops up; the kind with no roots to speak of. Twilight's roots had recently been torn out from under her, and it was all because she was trying to help somepony. It had backfired horribly, and now she was dealing with the consequences. And though she realized her faults in the matter, she couldn't quite believe that her entire life, which she had built with her own hard work and sacrifice, could end so suddenly. She was still alive, but she had lost everything. Nopony in town would hire her because of her transgressions; her parents and friends were not allowed to give her any help. Even Spike had left to join a dragon clan. She had no money and no place to live. Her world had been scrubbed clean of friendly faces, and all that was left to her was darkness and despair, guilt and anxiety. She was determined to remain alive, however; she would not let these circumstances be the death of her, and maybe if she waited long enough, she'd be given another chance. Her only recourse at this point lay in Coltsburg; a run-down, tired city that served as the crime capital of Equestria. Everypony there was so wrapped up in their own wrongdoings that they wouldn't bother worrying about hers. She could blend in and be forgotten by all who had known her. As she walked, she stifled a sob at the thought that she may never see her parents again. They had been disappointed but understanding; Twilight thought it would have been easier if they had just disowned her on the spot. She was jolted from her thoughts by a nasal voice coming from the darkness:

"Hey there, baby, you come here by yourself? How bout some Pegasus dust to liven up your night?"

"N-no thanks, I'm just looking for someone."

She quickened her pace slightly, but could still hear the stallion's hoofsteps following her.

"Yeah, who you looking for, baby? I know everypony in this city, it's no trouble to help out a beautiful mare like yourself. You got a boyfriend at home, honey?"

"Yes. His name's…Big Mac."

"Big Mac, eh? I bet I could take him on; I'd fight anyone to get a piece of your flank, honey."

Twilight broke into a quick trot, but the stallion kept alongside of her, talking non-stop.

"Your boyfriend isn't here, though, is he? If I was him I'd keep a close eye on you. Come back to my place, sweetie, my old lady ain't been home for two weeks, and I'm getting real antsy."

"Please", she gasped. "I don't want—"

He leaped over her, turned around, and faced her directly. She could see that he had slightly torn wings and a disheveled mane, and that he smelled like cider.

"Ain't nobody get what they want these days, sugar. Now shut up and do what I tell you."

Twilight tried to focus on the teleportation spell, but her mind was filled with the smell of cheap cider, and fear, and then the feeling of bristles on her face-

"HEY!" somepony yelled; the sound broke through the chaos of Twilight's mind, and she teleported several yards away from the drunk stallion. She opened her eyes, which had been shut tightly, and she saw a grey-black earth stallion with a matted mane glaring at the pegasus.

"What do you think you're doing, High Flyer? Taking advantage of some lost mare because your wife's gone and left you? You think that's the answer?"

High Flyer stared down, chagrined. When he spoke, his voice was whiny and choked with sobs.

"I dunno, man. I just miss her and…this one's so pretty…and she was all alone…she shouldn't be alone out here..."

"The next time somepony says _no_, you listen and leave them alone. I don't care how drunk you are, or how horny."

Twilight blushed at the use of this word, which she had heard so rarely in Ponyville.

"Now go home and sober up. If I ever catch you trying something like this again—"

"No, no, I'll never do it again. I'm sorry. Good night, miss," he said, bowing his head towards Twilight before trotting away. To her own amazement, she bid him good night as well. She breathed an enormous sigh of relief and turned to the stallion who had saved her, but he had already galloped away into the night.

"Wait!" she cried after him. "Don't leave, please!" She ran after him, unable to see where she was going because so many of the street lamps had gone out. After a few minutes of chasing, she collided into him and they were both knocked to the ground.

"Ugh, I swear to Celestia," he muttered in disgust, standing up and shaking out his mane.

"Watch where you're going, dammit! Why the hell are you following me, you stupid kid?"

"Please…I just wanted to thank you. For saving me back there, it was—"

"Yeah, yeah, I should be getting a medal any day now. Is that all?"

"Well…you're the first pony I've seen in this city who…"

"Doesn't want to rape you? Yeah, it's not my thing." He took a good look at Twilight, who had fallen silent. He spoke softly to her then. "What are you doing out here, kid? You look like you come from good breeding…though you look a little worn out now…hell, you're a unicorn, so that puts you ahead of most other ponies…hey, what's wrong?"

Twilight had started to cry, first a soft sobbing, then a loud wailing as she pressed her hooves to her eyes.

"Shut up, somepony'll think I'm killing ya." He extended his arms and awkwardly held her close to him as she continued to sob into his chest. After a few minutes, she gained control and explained herself. "I'm really sorry about this. I used to live in Ponyville and work as a student under Princess Celestia…but I was banished. No one will hire me or give me a place to stay, so I came here to…find someone…"

"Hang on, did you say you were _Celestia's student_? As in, you actually knew her personally?" His voice was filled with wonder and incredulity.

"Yes, but…I'm not allowed to have contact with her ever again…"

"Geez, kid, what'd you do?"

"I…I don't want to talk about it right now. I just need someplace to stay, and for that I need money. Do you…know anyone who…"

Her voice trailed off and she turned away, looking very pained. The stallion stared at her, eyes narrowed.

"Did you come here…so you could find a pimp to work for?"

Her eyes filled again with tears. "I figured no one here would care what I had done…it's the only way I can survive…I feel so worthless."

He smiled slightly and lifted her chin with his hoof. "You aren't worthless. You're very brave, doing whatever you need to survive." He sighed heavily. "I may regret this, but…come stay at my place for the rest of the night, and we'll see what we can find in the morning."

Twilight looked up at him with hope swimming in her eyes. _I may not have my life back, but at least I found someone here I can trust._

"What's your name, kid?"

"Twilight Sparkle. Yours?"

"Jack. Jack Nimble."


	2. Chapter 2

After a full night's sleep in a safe environment, Twilight felt better than she had in days. Her problems didn't seem as pressing as she yawned and gave a stretch; she thought she could smell grass pancakes cooking in the tiny kitchen. As soon as she got off Jack's couch, however, she could feel a heavy, dragging tension in all four of her legs. _That's what I get for walking through half the city_, she thought as she winced and hobbled to a nearby chair.

"Morning, Twilight" Jack mumbled as best he could with a spatula in his mouth. "Want some pancakes?"

"Yes, I'd love some. They smell amazing." Her stomach gave a painful clench and gurgle. "I haven't really eaten since I got evicted from the library I was living in."

"Living in a library? Sounds kinda boring."

"Oh, no! I love books and reading and learning as much as I can about magic."

Jack sighed. "Yeah, I guess I would too, if I were a unicorn."

"I'm sorry, Jack" she said after an uncomfortable pause. "I didn't mean to offend you. I don't think unicorns are any better or worse than any other kind of ponies. Some of my best friends are…were…earth ponies."

"No offense taken. But you won't find many of your kind in this city, I'm afraid. About the only unicorns I know who live here are a few cops and Gwendolyn the Great."

"Gwendolyn the Great?"

"Yeah. She doesn't have much talent other than tricking other ponies into giving her their hard-earned bits." His voice took on some bitterness. "Cheap, flashy whore that she is." He stopped short and blushed deeply before flipping a pancake and pressing it with the spatula with more force than was necessary.

To change the subject, Twilight asked "Why would the police ponies be unicorns if everyone else is an earth pony?"

Jack regained his composure and answered "Well, if a cop or one of the royal guards gets caught up in a scandal, they'll most likely get permanently transferred. And coming here is usually their only option. This place needs all the cops it can get."

It seemed to Twilight that Coltsburg was the place that unicorns were sent to when they had disgraced themselves in the public eye. And now she was one of them. Jack passed her a plate of grass pancakes, and Twilight levitated the syrup towards the table with her horn.

"Thank you so much, Jack."

"Sure, kid. But, if you're going to live in this city with other earth ponies, you might want to…cool it with the magic."

Twilight looked at him quizzically.

"It's just…this is not a happy place to live. Everypony is struggling to get by with what they have, and the biggest thing that ties everypony together is that they don't have magic to use. In fact, most ponies in Coltsburg resent unicorns because they think everything's easy for them. So if they see you using magic, you…won't make a whole lot of friends."

Twilight was shocked; she hadn't thought that she would face scorn just because she was a unicorn.

"But, magic is all I have left of who I was. It's the only tool at my disposal – I'm not strong or fast, I just know how to use magic really well…that sounded arrogant, I'm sorry."

Jack smirked. "I'm sure you're very talented, Twilight, but that's just it. Things have been easy for you all your life; you have something they don't, and they're going to think you're real stuck-up and superior if you go flaunting it." His voice had taken on a hard bitterness again, and Twilight couldn't help feeling it was directed straight at her. She bit her lip and looked down at the grass pancakes that her stomach desperately craved; but she had lost her appetite. When she spoke, her words were filled with hurt pride.

"No, everything hasn't been easy. I've worked hard since I was a filly to get where I am. I've sacrificed so much; I didn't even have friends for most of my life. But it was worth it, because I became the pride of Princess Celestia, her favorite student. Magic is who I am, and if I have to hide that because somepony might be jealous or think I'm conceited, I'll lose the last of myself. I don't care what anypony thinks, because I know I'm smart…and gifted…"

Her voice began to break, and she wished one of her friends was there holding her, more than she had wanted anything in her entire life. She wanted Spike, or Rarity, or Pinkie Pie, or even Jack to tell her everything would be fine, not to worry, she would make it through. She didn't get that, though. What she got was Jack's face only a few inches from hers. He grinned sickeningly, and whispered "But it didn't last, did it, kid?" All the warmth and caring had gone out of his voice, and Twilight thought she heard a sick satisfaction in what he said. "What did you do, Twilight? What could have been so awful that Celestia would banish her favorite student and take away everything she worked for? How did you get to the point where you would crawl and beg and sell yourself on these dirty streets just to have enough to eat? Must feel pretty bad to fall out of grace like that—"

Before he finished his sentence, Twilight fled from the table, knocking over the chair as she went. She ran sobbing to the front door and slammed it shut with her magic. A heavy silence spread through Jack's small apartment; after a few moments, he shook his head, sighed, and placed it in his hooves.

Twilight continued running as fast as she could, away from Jack, away from her past, away from the city of Coltsburg, away from everything that threatened to drown her in despair. She had almost reached the city limits when she felt a horrid twinge in her back right leg. She tried to gasp at the pain, but didn't have enough air left in her lungs. Twilight fell forward and her chest and chin hit the ground. She took a few moments to catch her breath, then tried to lift her head; but she was too dizzy and nauseous from pain. She couldn't move her back legs more than half an inch without a wave of pain hitting her harder than ever; she let her head fall back to the ground, and began to sob openly. She heard hooves walk past her head, but didn't have enough energy to look and see who it was. A voice near her head said "I think the next show's starting now." Another said "Is that mare okay?" Twilight tried to mumble that she needed help, to call a doctor, and then she heard a distantly familiar voice call out.

"Hello and welcome, everypony! I am Gwendolyn the Great, here to perform feats of magic never before seen!"

Twilight managed to lift her head, and she saw a small stage a few feet away. Standing in the center of it was a blue unicorn wearing a tattered purple shawl.

"Trixie."


	3. Chapter 3

Some of the ponies gathered around Trixie's stage gave Twilight dirty looks as she lay unmoving on the ground. One grey stallion even stepped on her back leg, causing her to cry out. "Sorry" he mumbled as he shoved his way to the front of the crowd. Twilight didn't think she could take any more pain, and then she remembered a healing spell she had learned just before everything had changed. She sorted through her memories of the last few weeks, most of them tinged with grief and pain. Finally she remembered the right way to perform the spell, but she didn't know if she had energy left within her. She took as deep a breath as she could and closed her eyes; magic began to move from her horn down to her head, her neck, her torso, and finally her weary legs. When she opened her eyes, she felt significantly better. She cautiously stood upright; her legs were still sore, but she felt they could hold her weight. She turned her attention to Trixie, or "Gwendolyn the Great", as she was apparently calling herself. All that was left of her portable stage was a moldy-smelling blue curtain and the rickety floor, but there was no mistaking the showy boastfulness that Twilight remembered. She was currently proclaiming her ability to best any earth pony in a fight.

"It matters not how powerful you think you are, _earth ponies_. My magic can defeat even the strongest contender you can throw at me" she said with contempt.

The crowd began to boo loudly, and some began to throw glass bottles, which she narrowly dodged. One pony threw a rotten apple at the stage, and it hit her square in the face. The ponies in the audience cheered and stamped the ground in approval, but Twilight was confused. The one who had thrown the apple had done so in a slow, obvious way; if Trixie could dodge bottles, surely she could have dodged the apple. She could see a black eye starting to form on Trixie's face where she had been hit; she looked out at them in defiance.

"Go on and scoff at my powers, you simple little foals! I dare you to try and take me on. Fight me like a stallion!"

One younger-looking white pony with a brown mane slowly walked up to the stage, egged on by his friends.

"Uh, I bet I can beat you in a fight" he said tremulously.

"Oh, it appears I finally have a contender. Well, get up on stage and show me what you can do, you simpleton!"

There was more hissing from the crowd and shouts of "Kick her ass!"

The stallion reared up on his hind legs and hit Trixie in the jaw; she stumbled backward with a cry. The audience roared with approval and stamped loudly; Twilight felt sick to her stomach.

"Oh, I'm so sorry" he said, beginning to back away.

"Is that the best you've got?" Trixie taunted through a mouthful of blood. "I've seen fillies who can fight better than you!"

The stallion looked uncomfortably towards his friends, who cheered and whistled encouragement. Trixie used her magic to bring a length of rope out from backstage – the rope was tattered and looked excessively worn. She loosely coiled the rope around the stallion's front hooves, who did nothing but stare at this process, transfixed. More loud boos from the audience brought him out of his stupor, and he used his strength to break through the rope and free himself. The audience stamped louder than ever, and Twilight muttered "Anypony could break through that rope." The ponies standing near who had heard this gave her looks of severe disapproval, then eyed her horn suspiciously. Twilight chuckled nervously and moved to a different part of the crowd. The stallion on stage looked amazed that he had broken the rope; grinning maliciously, he aimed another kick at Trixie's face. She turned in time for it to hit her cheek, and blood began to ooze from the cut his hoof had given her. The audience cheered its approval, and the stallion walked proudly back to his friends. Trixie dragged herself behind the curtain; a darker blue earth pony came out and made an announcement. "Gwendolyn the Great will be taking a ten-minute break. Everypony feel free to get some snacks for the next part of the show." Twilight looked around, and sure enough, there was a food stand a little way off. She could see that the prices were outrageous; even if she decided to wait in the line that was quickly forming, there was no way she'd be able to afford any food. Her stomach tightened in pain, and she thought about what she had just seen. It was the same boastful Trixie, all right; but instead of trying to show that she was better than everypony else, it almost seemed like she was…letting everypony walk all over her. But why would she deliberately let herself get abused like that? Then Twilight remembered what Jack had said to her; that earth ponies in this city _hated_ unicorns, that they resented their power and therefore shunned them. She looked intensely at the stage on which Trixie had been thoroughly beaten, then to the large crowd of ponies gathered at the food stand. _She's bragging about her abilities…and then deliberately making herself seem weak and powerless…because these ponies love to hate unicorns! _It made perfect sense now that she had sorted it out; Trixie was putting on a kind of show, but instead of impressing ponies with her magic, she was giving them gratification by failing at magic. By getting beaten by a timid earth pony, she was giving all these earth ponies what they really wanted: a feeling of superiority over unicorns. It was clear from the number of ponies that had turned out that she had been doing these shows for a while, and that they were quite popular. She gasped as she remembered that Jack had mentioned her earlier.

"_Cheap, flashy whore that she is."_

Was Trixie the reason Jack hated unicorns? Had stirring up his memory of her been the reason he had turned on Twilight so suddenly? She sighed and realized it didn't matter; she couldn't go back to Jack after the way he had treated her. Twilight gritted her teeth as she felt another stomach pang; she needed food soon or she would collapse, and she wouldn't have enough energy to restore herself. She meandered over to the food stand, where the line was much shorter than before. There was a small group of ponies muttering to each other and glancing her way; they all looked angry, and she prayed she wouldn't have to defend herself. Then she saw the gleam of money on the ground; it appeared somepony had dropped it while buying food. She discreetly picked up the bits with her mouth; they tasted awful, but she didn't want to be seen using magic right now. She counted the bits in her hoof; there were five in total; she could get two apples for four bits, and a side of hay fries for one bit. Twilight put the bits on the counter and received two small, spotty apples and a measly portion of fries. She was grateful for what she could get, however, and ate hurriedly; her stomach gurgled in response.

The show started up again, and she watched from a distance as Trixie was consistently beaten by methods that any unicorn could have fought. It finally ended after two hours, just as the sun was beginning to set. As the crowd dispersed, Twilight slowly made her way to the front of the stage, getting contemptuous looks and a few ponies purposefully bumping into her. Trixie looked terribly pained, but she still noticed Twilight looking up at her with compassion. She blinked a few times to be sure of what she saw, then grinned with a strange satisfaction.

"Well, well, well…Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia's favorite pupil…Did you like my show, Twilight?"

"Oh, well…it was—"

"Barbaric? Yeah, well, I'm used to it." Her voice still held a nasty, superior edge, as though she hadn't just spent two hours getting beaten for other ponies' amusement.

"I couldn't believe what those other ponies did to you…you must be in so much pain."

"Oh well, it's no big deal. I just go backstage and heal myself during breaks. It's an awfully useful trick in this business."

"You obviously let those other ponies win. I know you could have beaten them if you wanted to. How could you just—"

"How could I let myself get brutalized? It's not something I enjoy, Twilight, but it's something I have to do if I want a place to sleep at night. I fill a nice little niche, don't you think? I know I could have thrashed those sad-sacks if I had a mind to; that's really the only thing keeping me going, knowing I'm better than those cretins. But let's talk about _you_. Obviously you did something awful, or you wouldn't have ended up here. Tell me, Twi, what made Celestia so angry with you?"

Twilight bit her lip and looked away; she couldn't bring herself to tell Trixie everything.

"Let's just say that I'm not welcome in Canterlot or Ponyville or…"

"Or anywhere that isn't a depressing dump like this place? Well, that's tough. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to patch myself up backstage."

The stallion who had been running the food stand walked up to the stage with a bulging sack of what looked like money and left it where Trixie had just been standing.

"Your share for today, sweetheart!" he called to Trixie.

"Thank you, Celery! Same time tomorrow?"

"You betcha!" he said. He gave Twilight a once-over, winked at her, and shambled away.

Twilight recoiled in disgust, and sat, thinking. Her situation wasn't any better now than it was yesterday; she still had no money and no place to sleep, and she didn't think she'd be lucky enough to find spare bits on the ground again. She didn't want to stoop to selling herself if she could help it; she saw no other option…

"Trixie?"

Trixie popped her head out from behind the curtain, grimaced, and said "Oh, are you s_till_ here?"

Twilight paused and forced herself to say "What if your show had…two unicorns?"

_A/N: Sorry for the overuse of "she"; it's a bad habit I get into when focusing a story on one character. Hope you liked, more to come soon!_


	4. Update

So here's an update as to why there hasn't been…an update. A few days ago I fell backwards off a swing and broke one finger on each hand and sprained another three on my left. This makes typing take a really long time, and typing out a whole chapter isn't feasible at this point. I do have some material in mind, but until my fingers heal in about 6 weeks, there won't be any new chapters. Just wanted to let everyone know what was up; I promise to finish up this fic when I get the chance. Thank you for your patience and for reading so far.


	5. Chapter 5

"_Two_ unicorns, did you say? Do you mean to tell me you want to join my sad little show, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight, who felt more defeated than she'd ever thought possible, stared glumly at the ground before replying.

"Yes. It's my only option. I'm sorry about what happened between us in Ponyville. I think you're a _really great_ unicorn." She hoped that Trixie couldn't tell she was lying through her teeth, but from the smirk on Trixie's face, it didn't really matter. "Oh really, Twilight? You don't think you're better than me just because you defeated a little Ursa Minor?"

"Oh no" Twilight stammered. "I'm sure you could defeat an Ursa Major right now if it came rampaging through. You're one of the most talented unicorns I've ever seen." She chuckled nervously, hoping against hope that Trixie would agree to share her profits.

"_One_ of the most talented, Twilight?" she said scornfully. "Who in all of Equestria has more talent and style than the great and powerful Trixie?"

"Well…" Twilight was about to mention Celestia's name, but just the thought of her old mentor sent a sharp pang straight through her. She felt mutinous for saying the next words: "I guess there isn't anypony better than magic than you, Trixie. Or is it Gwendolyn the Great now?"

"Ah yes, a stage name I adopted when I came here, since "Trixie" has a bit of a reputation. It has just the right amount of flair, does it not?"

Twilight smiled obsequiously and privately lamented at the state her life had fallen into. Still, it was better than starving, or selling her body, so all she said was "Definitely the right amount."

"Hm, we'll have to think of a good name for you, Twilight. How about…Wendy the Weird?"

"Uhh..okay?"

"Now if you want to succeed in making a name for yourself as a performer, you have to know what your audience wants…"

The day of Twilight's first show arrived a week later, though she wasn't quite sure she was ready. She understood the concept of what they were doing, but she didn't know if she could readily debase herself for a crowd of bitter earth ponies. As she surreptitiously peeked out at the audience just before the show started, she felt a whirl of emotions for her audience. _What must it be like for those ponies whose only satisfaction is in watching others suffer?_

"Ready, _Wendy_?" Trixie asked jauntily as she finished fixing her mane in the mirror.

"I-I guess. I'm not sure how you can be excited about doing this, though. I feel like they're going to tear us limb from limb."

"Those desires get fulfilled when they watch us get pummeled. It doesn't hurt that much; just remember the healing spells I taught you, and try not to get hit in the eyes; it hurts like a bitch. Shall we?"

Twilight took a deep breath and apprehensively followed Trixie out onto the stage.

"Hello, my lesser ponies. Gwendolyn the Great is here to dazzle and amaze with her magic skills!"

There was the customary booing and stomping, and even some harsh catcalls. Trixie beamed at the audience with aplomb. Her next words rang out clearly: "And may I introduce Wendy the Weird, a unicorn even more powerful than Gwendolyn the Great!"

Twilight's stomach dropped as she felt the crowd's hatred rise even more.

"No! I'm not-"

"Just go with it, Twilight" Trixie hissed out of the corner of her mouth. "Wendy was once a prized pupil of Princess Celestia herself, until she was cast out in shame for trying to take the throne!"

Twilight felt panic rise inside of her; every instinct was screaming at her to run before the audience took the stage and trampled her to death. She managed to stay on her feet as the audience's boos reached a deafening, unifying roar.

"Who dares challenge the greatest unicorn in Equestria?" Trixie called out, surveying the audience for a volunteer. Nearly everypony had a hoof raised; her eyes focused on an extremely large, muscled pony who was even taller than Big Mac. Trixie pointed him out and yelled "Show her what you've got, you buffoon!"

Twilight thought she felt a trickle of sweat run down her backside, or maybe it was urine. She didn't care; she was beyond shame, even beyond fear. She was ready for death. She couldn't quite believe it had come down to this; that her life, once so full of promise, would end on a stage in front of hundreds of angry ponies. She forced herself to keep her eyes open; if she died today, at least she could look it in the eye instead of cowering like a filly. She managed to look her contender in the face, though her legs were wobbling with fear. Though not a smart pony, he could see that she was terrified and felt a pang of pity for her. Then he caught sight of her horn and remembered that she was even more arrogant than Celestia, and his hoof came down swiftly on her head. The last thing Twilight saw before getting knocked out was Trixie's triumphant smirk.

She woke up several hours later, curled up in a ball backstage. Her head hurt more than she had ever thought possible; the rest of her body felt like it had been beaten mercilessly. She carefully raised a hoof and touched her face; it was tender, and her left eye was very swollen. Trixie was in a corner, counting bits and putting them into small piles. She lazily turned her head in Twilight's direction, and frostily said "Oh, you're finally awake."

Twilight groaned with pain. "What happened?"

"You were there, Twilight, don't you remember? You got hit in the head by that big oaf of a pony, and you were knocked unconscious. I had to do the rest of the show myself" she finished with a touch of resentment.

"My head hurts _so much_."

"Yeah, I thought you might have a concussion after that hit. I did my best to fix it, but you may want to go to a hospital and get it checked."

"Can't…afford..do you have my share of the profits?" Twilight croaked.

"Oh yeah, here." Trixie levitated a bag of coins over to Twilight, who eagerly began to count them. A cloud passed over her face. "Trixie, there are only thirty bits in here."

"Yes, Twilight, because that's how much you earned. I told you, I had to do most of the show by myself."

"That's because I was unconscious! You picked the strongest pony in a crowd of hundreds, on purpose! You did this just to hurt me!"

Trixie scoffed softly. "No, Twilight, you hurt yourself. Whatever you did, was it really worth all the pain you have in your life now? Everypony has to learn that they could lose everything at the drop of a hat. That the world doesn't care how talented you are, it will stomp all over you just the same. And who better to teach you that lesson than me?"

"T-this won't get me through the week. It will barely get me enough food. Please. This isn't fair."

Hot tears streamed down her face and she sobbed hopelessly.

Trixie smiled viciously. "That's not really my problem, Twilight. If you want more bits, you know what you have to do. Although I'd clean yourself up before you start looking for clients. And be here next week, bright and early. The crowd loves you." Trixie grabbed her bulging bag of gold and trotted away. Twilight stayed where she was, too exhausted to cry any more. She had absolutely no one left; not one friend, not one pony who would care if she died. She almost wished that blow to the head _had_ killed her. Slowly, after what seemed a long time, she rose and took the bag of gold, hoping she could find a homeless shelter or even an unoccupied overpass. Twilight walked away from the stage with her eyes closed, not knowing where she was going and not really caring. While she walked, she thought she heard a small voice calling her name. _I'm hearing voices now, apparently; at least I've got some company._ She heard it again, more clearly, and she opened her eyes and turned towards the source of the sound. Standing just behind her, head lowered, was Jack.

A/n: I promise, the event that led to Twilight being banished will be explained in the next chapter; it just didn't seem to fit in this one. Take care!


	6. Chapter 6

The two ponies looked at each other for a long minute. Twilight's mouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out. Finally Jack broke the silence.

"Twilight, I...came to see your show. I recognized your face from the posters."

Twilight chuckled in disbelief. "Well...what did you think?"

Jack grinned at her, though his eyes seemed to swim with sympathy.

"It was pretty brutal. I honestly thought you might get killed up there...and it would be my fault."

"Oh, Jack, you didn't do anything wrong. Everything you said before was right, everypony _hates_ me here. I'd probably fit in better if I cut off my horn. It's not like I'm using it for anything important anyway."

Jack moved closer to Twilight and tentatively put a hoof around her.

"Don't let these ponies make you feel like you aren't good enough. You were talented enough to be Celestia's private student, weren't you? Clearly you have an amazing gift for magic, and you shouldn't squander it here. You're too intelligent."

Tears began to pour down her face. "It just feels like none of that matters here. No one cares about anypony but themselves. Trixie only let me be in her show because she wanted me to get hurt, and she kept most of the money-"

"Trixie? Who's that?"

"Oh, it's-"

Twilight was interrupted by somepony running right into her from behind; they both toppled to the ground.

"Wha-Trixie, what did you come back for?"

"For your information, _Twilight_, I forgot my hat, and I refuse to walk down the streets of this rat-infested city without-"

"_Gwen_?"

Trixie turned impatiently towards the sound of Jack's voice, and her eyes widened fearfully.

"Jack? W-what are you doing here?"

Twilight could see disgust on every line of Jack's face. "Just talking to my good friend, Twilight. She tells me that you duped her out of some money. That doesn't surprise me much. What _does_ surprise me is that Gwendolyn apparently isn't your real name. What made you change it, darling? Something unsavory, I suspect."

Jack looked like he was about to charge straight at Trixie. Twilight stepped in front of him and kept eye contact with him.

"Jack, Trixie isn't worth hurting yourself over. Just leave her be."

He rose stiffly. "You're right, Twi. She doesn't deserve any more of our attention."

Twilight and Jack walked slowly away from the dusty ground upon which Trixie sat. Jack couldn't help flicking his long tail at Trixie's nose as he passed her. She stared after them, feeling hurt. Just before they disappeared from sight, she called out "Does this mean you're not going to be in the show anymore? Because I got you a costume, and you owe me money for it!"

Twilight felt the weight of unbearable anxiety lift from her as she walked and talked with Jack. He apologized again and again for the way he had treated her.

"It really wasn't anything personal, Twi. I think even if we try to avoid it, everyone who lives here starts to hate unicorns. And my experiences with Gwen-Trixie, I mean, made me hate them even more. You're different, though. You're sweet."

Twilight giggled. "You're sweet, too, Jack. I was about to give up hope when you showed up. What happened with Trixie to make you hate her so much?"

"Well, when I knew her, she was Gwendolyn the Great. She was pushy and mean and a show-off...I couldn't get enough of her."

Twilight raised her eyebrow at him. "That doesn't make any sense, you know."

"I know. I couldn't really explain this attraction I had to her, but it was there in spades. Maybe because she didn't give a rat's ass what anypony thought of her. That much self-esteem is hard to find, and maybe I was hoping some of it would rub off on me. She liked the attention I gave her, but I don't think she ever actually liked me. She left me for somepony else after a few weeks, and I just...flipped. I wanted to hurt her in any way I could for taking advantage of me, but after a while I realized that I had mostly done it to myself. Needless to say, it wasn't a healthy relationship while it lasted."

"I can't believe you dated. She came to Ponyville for a few days once and bragged about defeating an Ursa Major, but once we all realized that was a lie, she ran for it."

"Yeah, that's Gwen. I'd love to find out what made her change her name, though. She's probably running from the law, always hopping from one city to the next."

There was a slight pause in their conversation, and Twilight's stomach groaned loudly. She winced and chuckled. "I guess I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since yesterday."

"Well, you can stay at my place as long as you need. I promise, I'll be the most hospitable pony you ever met."

Twilight laughed, but felt a strange burning in her gut as his eyes met hers and held them for a long moment.

_I must be really hungry._

Jack rummaged in his fridge and produced six apples and a large portion of stale hay fries.

"This should tide you over until dinner."

Twilight began eating immediately; soon, apple juice began to run down her face and stain her coat. Jack just grinned at her and handed her a paper towel.

"Sorry I'm such a slob, Jack. These apples are just so good. They remind me of the ones on my friend Applejack's farm."

"Applejack, huh? Was she your best friend?"

"Pretty much. Except for Fluttershy..and Rarity. And Rainbow Dash. Can't forget Pinkie Pie. And Spike." She swallowed hard and put down her apple as her eyes filled with tears. "I miss them so much, Jack."

Jack bit his lip and sighed. "Twilight...maybe you should tell me why Celestia banished you. I can't help thinking that it couldn't have been so bad as to cut you off from all your friends and put you in the position you're in now. Was it really that bad?"

Twilight averted her eyes, then brought them to Jack's face.

"Okay. I guess I have to tell someone. Just don't hate me after, okay?"

Jack gave her a close hug and drew back.

"Well...my friends and I defeated Nightmare Moon, who was the evil alter ego of Princess Luna. Once that happened, she was free to be herself again, to take over her old position and rule the night. But she had a lot of trouble adjusting. She felt guilty about what she had almost done, but at the same time she still had that resentment of her older sister. Being on the moon for a thousand years, all alone, had made her...a bit strange. She would start talking aloud to someone, even if there was no one in the room. I guess when you're alone for that long, you have to make up friends for yourself. She tried to raise the moon like she used to, but she told Celestia it was "too painful", so Celestia kept doing it herself. She didn't have any energy, she would have dreams about Nightmare Moon keeping her locked in a cage, about being left on the moon forever and not being able to leave. If she tried to talk to anypony, she would get exhausted and break down within five minutes, and she couldn't look anyone in the eye. Most ponies were put off by her behavior, though Celestia claimed nothing was wrong, that she just needed some time. Celestia told me all of this in a letter, and privately admitted that she was at a loss, that she didn't know what she should do about her sister. I wanted to help her so badly, because I felt partially responsible. I started looking at psychology texts to see if I could do anything, and I came across one spell that I thought would help. It would give a shock to her brain and "reset" her, so that all the negative thoughts and feelings would go away and she could be happy. She would have more energy and be able to talk to ponies and raise the moon at night. I thought it was perfect..."

Twilight let out a deep, shaky sigh, and Jack gave her an encouraging smile.

"So I decided to try the spell on Luna. I wrote to Celestia about it and she thought it was a good idea. I went to Canterlot one night, and I was left in a room with the two of them. Luna was in restraints on the ground, and she was screaming and yelling to one of her imaginary friends, saying 'Don't let them, they don't know what they're doing, make them pay for their insolence!' I was afraid, but I just looked at Celestia, and she nodded at me to do it. So I took a deep breath, concentrated, and performed the spell. I was blown across the room because it was so strong, and I got knocked out. When I woke up, Celestia was standing over me, and she looked so angry. I asked her what happened, and she said that Luna wasn't waking up, that I needed to reverse what I had done. I told her I didn't know how, and she slapped me and told me to try anyways. I tried to perform the spell again, but I didn't have any energy left. They called the best doctors in Canterlot, but they couldn't do anything for her. She was in a deep coma, and still is, as far as I know. Celestia told me to leave the castle, to leave Canterlot, to leave her forever because of what I had done. When I got home and tried to talk to my friends, they said that they had been ordered not to speak to me by royal decree. I tried to go into the library where I lived, but there were a bunch of guards in front of the door, and they said I couldn't go in. Spike gave me a letter from Celestia telling me I was banished from Ponyville, and then he left me, too. Everything ended, just like that."

Jack let out a low whistle. "Well, that is an awful thing to happen. But it wasn't _your_ fault, Twi."

"But it was. I'm the one who did it."

"Celestia expressly told you to perform the spell on Luna. She was there the whole time. And you probably did everything right. It was just a weird fluke that made something go wrong. I know that you feel responsible, but you were only trying to help. And it sounds like Luna wasn't doing much better on her own. It sounds like she was miserable. Maybe it's better that she doesn't have to deal with fitting in and being in her sister's shadow for the next few milennia."

"Maybe. The only thing that matters is that Celestia blames me for pretty much killing her sister, and I can't see her ever again. I feel like I let her down. She meant so much to me."

Jack's eyes narrowed and he was silent for a moment. "Luna isn't dead yet, Twi. Maybe...if you managed to get her out of the coma, Celestia would forgive you."

Twilight gave a short, harsh laugh. "I really doubt the princess wants me near her sister again, Jack."

"Well, what does she have to lose? If Luna's as good as dead, there's not much more harm we can do. If we go to Canterlot and request an audience with Celestia, we can just ask to use the library. Maybe we can find something that will fix what happened."

Twilight sighed. "No, Jack. I've already made a mess of things and I don't want to make it any worse."

"Twilight...what do _you _have to lose? It seems like things can't get any worse for the three of you, so you may as well go back and see if you can't fix things. You can make Celestia happy and get your old life back."

"No, it won't be my old life. It won't be the same thing, because I know how easily it can be taken away. I used to be so innocent, Jack. I feel like I've seen and felt everything I could and come out alive."

"That just means you're stronger than you think. Experiencing the darker part of life is good...if you live through it. Come on, show Celestia she can't just throw you aside and expect you to take it lying down."

"Maybe you're right, Jack. I've got nothing much left to lose."

She didn't feel that was entirely true, though. Her eyes roamed over Jack's kind face, and she felt a gratifying twisting in her stomach. _Yes, there's still more I can lose. I just hope I can make things right for everyone._


	7. Chapter 7

The journey to Canterlot took Twilight and Jack three weeks; they walked about ten hours a day and ate from a giant picnic basket that Twilight held in front of her with magic. It was an exhausting ordeal. Twilight tried to keep her mind from wandering, but there was only so much that she and Jack could talk about, and she wanted to save her energy for walking. She wondered what Princess Celestia would do when she beheld her worn-out, estranged former student and a dark-maned stranger standing before her. _She'll probably order us to leave, or have her guards kick us out_, Twilight thought dismally. _But maybe...if I can figure it out what I did wrong and how to fix it, she'll let me live in Ponyville again. I probably won't be her student, but I can work on Applejack's farm, or maybe in Rarity's dress shop._ Hope bloomed in her chest as the days passed, and when they reached the entrance to Canterlot castle, she had to fight back tears. She was finally back home. They were stopped by a pair of burly guards who asked them to identify themselves. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is...Jack." He inclined his head nervously. "We've come to see the princess." The left guard's eyes widened and he glanced at the guard next to him. "We...were told that you are not allowed within the city limits of Canterlot, Miss Sparkle." Twilight's heart sank? So that was it? The guards suddenly moved aside and saluted; confused, Twilight turned her head and saw her brother standing behind her. "Shiny!" she shouted with glee. Shining Armor's face was momentarily clouded with confusion, then a grin broke on his face. "Twily!" They leapt towards each other and joined in an unbearably tight hug. Laughing and crying at the same time, Twilight savored the feeling of being held by someone who loved her. After a long time, they broke apart but still kept their hooves on each other's shoulders. "Twily, I heard what happened, and it just wasn't fair. I've been trying to convince Celestia that she overreacted, but she won't listen. I can't believe you're actually here? Where have you been?"

"It's a long story, Shiny. What's important is that I came back here to fix things. I want to ask Celestia if I can use the royal library to figure out what went wrong. Maybe I can make Luna healthy again."

"I don't know, Twi" he said, his eyes clouded. "Any time someone mentions Luna or you, she just shuts down. It's impossible to talk to her for a while after that. To be honest, she's neglecting her royal duties."

"I know things are bad, Shiny, but they can't get much worse. If I get the chance, I can make everything all right again."

Shining Armor saw the despair in his sister's eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Alright. I'll tell her that you're here."

He strode purposefully into the castle, and the guards eyed Twilight and Jack uneasily. A long, anxious silence passed; finally, they heard a commotion coming from inside. The guards peered into the hallway, then quickly leapt aside as Celestia came barreling towards them.

"Where is she?" she spat angrily, her eyes blazing. "Where is that traitor?"

She turned and saw Twilight standing before her, confusion and terror on her face. She snorted loudly, and her voice became low and deadly. "You come crawling back here, to ask for a second chance? You, who may as well have killed my sister, want another try at it? You stupid, brazen foal! I should have killed you when I had the chance!" Celestia reared back on her hind legs, her horn glinting in the sun, and brought her hooves down on Twilight's head. Or at least, the spot where Twilight's head would have been. In the instant that Celestia reared, Jack shouted at Twilight, breaking her out of a stupor, and she teleported just in time. She was now standing two feet away, breathing fast and hard. Celestia cried out as her hooves struck solid ground; her face transformed in an instant from one filled with hatred to one filled with bewilderment. She moved her hooves away; the ground had been smashed under her feet, and there were small holes where the sharp points of her hooves had hit the concrete. She looked guiltily around at her guards, and at Shining Armor, who was standing next to Twilight and Jack. Shiny's face held a look of horror and disgust as he looked the princess dead in the eye. After a long moment, he turned to his sister.

"Are you ok, Twi?"

"Yeah, I'm...fine." Her eyes rose to meet Celestia's. "Princess?"

"I-I'm sorry, Twilight. I was...surprised..and angry and - and I wasn't - "

"You tried to kill her." Shiny's tone was bitter. "You tried to kill my little sister."

"I-" she looked again to her guards, who made no move, but only looked at her with pity.

"You realize that if you had killed her, I would have gored you right here. And I really don't think your guards would have minded."

Princess Celestia was speechless; her eyes reached Twilight's, beseeching.

"It's ok, Shiny." Twilight spoke with perfect aplomb. Jack and Shiny looked at her curiously. "Think about how you feel right now. You really hate Princess Celestia because she almost killed me, and you would have killed her to get revenge. Well, that's how she feels about me right now, because of what I did to her sister. Even if I didn't mean to, it's still something that I took part in, and I need to take responsibility for it. Princess Celestia, I'd like permission to use the royal library so I can try to cure Princess Luna."

Celestia only nodded wordlessly, and Twilight marched into the castle with Jack and Shining Armor following her.

"Oh, where is it?" Twilight groaned as she searched for the book that held the spell she had performed on Luna. She glanced over at Shining Armor, who was huddled in a corner, still shaking with anger. She slowly approached him, and asked "Don't you want to help me figure this out, Shiny?"

His mouth twisted and he stifled a sob. "I just...I can't believe she almost did that. She would have killed you, Twi. If you hadn't moved in time...I can't work for the royal guard anymore, not after what she's become."

"I know there's no excuse for her behavior, but I still feel bad for her. I think she feels a little bit guilty about Luna as well, and it's clouding her judgment. I just need to fix this."

Shiny regarded his sister and smiled warmly. "I think you'd make a better leader than her, sis."

Twilight grinned. "By the way, where did Jack go? He said he was going to grab some food for us, and that was 2 hours ago."

Shiny shrugged. "So, are you and him..."

"What?"

He grimaced. "Dating."

"Oh, well...no, not really. But I think I might like to, if my life ever gets back to normal. He's really sweet, Shiny. I hope you'll get to know him."

"I'll try, sis. It's just the thought of my baby sister _dating_ somepony..." He shuddered overdramatically and Twilight giggled. The door to the Canterlot library burst open suddenly, and Jack strode in, followed by Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. Twilight gasped and ran toward the group, who swept her up in a massive hug. Her cries of happiness were matched by their own, and soon they were all in joyous tears.

"Twilight, Twilight, we missed you soooo much!" Pinkie squealed. When your friend told us you were in town, we all ran here to see you.

"Oh, Pinkie" Twilight said as she gave her another hug. "I missed you too. All of you. So, so much. I thought I'd never see you again."

"I don't care what the princess says, you're coming to live with me in Cloudsdale" said Rainbow Dash.

"And how exactly will she live there, Rainbow Dash? She can't exactly fly, now can she? Twilight can come and live in my boutique" said Rarity haughtily.

"What's wrong with Sweet Apple Acres? It's a great place to live, surrounded by your kin, always having someone to talk to and something to do."

"Twilight does _not_ want to work on an apple farm every day and get dirty and sweaty. Unicorns have some pride in their appearance."

"Exactly what is _that _supposed to mean, you prissy-"

"Hey!" Fluttershy shouted loudly, surprising everyone. "Um, maybe we should let Twilight decide where she wants to live." They all turned to Twilight expectantly.

"Uh, I think I have some work to do before I move in with anypony."

"Jack told us what really happened. The princess just told us that you were banished, and we didn't know what was going on. Are you ok?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm better than I've been in weeks, now that all of you are here. I need to find a spell to reverse what I did to Luna..."

Pinkie gasped, startling everyone. They turned to her, annoyed, and she blurted "We can help you look for it! I bet we can find it in two shakes of a pony's tail if we work together!"

Twilight turned to Jack, who had a bemused expression.

"I guess it can't hurt. Jack and I will look in the pony psychiatry section, everypony else look for a book on medieval remedies. I can't quite remember the title..."

"Was it "Cure-All Spells for Depressed Ponies?" Pinkie called out from around the corner.

"That's it, Pinkie! How did you find it so fast?"

"It was under 'D' in the magical cures section!" she said as she bounced happily towards the group.

"Oh..." Twilight leafed through the book until she found a picture of a pony, lying in the fetal position with her face hidden beneath her hooves. She vividly remembered seeing the picture, and her eyes scanned the page opposite.

"The most common signs of Equine Depression are as follows: an aversion to being around other ponies, an inability to perform responsibilities, a constant feeling of exhaustion, and if the depression is related to an outside event, recurring dreams regarding the event are likely to occur."

"Sounds like Luna to me, Twily" Shiny said, peering over Applejack's shoulder at the book.

"Yeah" Twilight said vaguely. "Where was the treatment?" She slowly turned the pages of the book, then cried out. "Here it is! The spell I performed on Luna." Her eyes quickly skimmed it, then did so again more slowly. "I don't see where I went wrong, though. I did exactly-"

Her mouth dropped open in horror. "Oh no.."

"What is it, Twilight?" asked Fluttershy.

"Look what it says, just below how to perform the spell, in that footnote."

The ponies surrounding Twilight peered at the page, and Jack read aloud. "Warning: Do _not_ attempt to perform this spell on an alicorn. Their genetic make-up is radically different from unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, and this spell may permanently damage an alicorn's psyche if performed."

The room was filled with shocked silence. Finally Rainbow piped up. "Well, they should really put that in bigger letters if it's that dangerous."

"Rainbow Dash!" hissed Rarity, but Twilight wasn't angry. In fact, she found what Dash had said quite hilarious, and she let out loud, hysterical laughter. She laughed for a solid minute, until Shining Armor grew concerned and put his hoof on her shoulder. "Calm down now, Twi...we can still figure something out.."

"There's...nothing to figure out, Shiny" she gasped between braying laughter. "I performed the spell...on an alicorn...and caused her psyche...permanent damage...isn't that funny?"

Twilight's friends were growing concerned that she was actually going crazy; meanwhile, Jack had begun to search the shelves again. She began to calm her laughter, and she wiped her streaming eyes with a hoof. After a deep breath, she looked around sheepishly at the group around her, and said softly, "I guess that's it, then. Rarity, do you think I could stay with you for the time being?"

"Ha!" Rarity yelled triumphantly. After a second, her face grew contrite and she slowly put a hoof around Twilight's shoulder. "Of course, my dear. I think if I clear out my inspiration room...but then where will I put the designs I've been working on? Oh, we'll figure something out..."

"Wait!" yelled Jack, just as the group was getting ready to leave.

"What is it, Jack?"

"Come look at this!"

Twilight sighed and walked over to look at the book Jack was holding. She squinted her eyes at the cover and broke into a grin. The title was "What to do when a spell has gone wrong."

Jack, Shining Armor, Twilight, and her five best friends marched in procession to Princess Celestia's throne. She was sitting hunched over, looking pained and dejected. Twilight weaved her way to the front of the group and stood before Celestia, looking straight into her eyes.

"Oh, Twilight..." her voice broke. "I can't begin to say-"

"I think I can fix things, Princess."

Celestia was taken aback. "What?"

"I think I know how to restore Princess Luna to consciousness again. She may still feel isolated and tired, but at least she'll be awake. Maybe then a licensed professional can help her work through her feelings."

The princess's eyes slowly filled with tears, and she smiled at Twilight. "Guards, show this young mare where my sister resides." Two royal guards led Twilight up several floors and opened the door to a darkened bedchamber. She slowly walked in and saw Luna's prone figure lying on the bed. Luna's color looked gray, and her expression was one of vague horror. Twilight sighed and nodded at the guards; they closed the door and left the two mares alone. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and made sure her horn was lined up with Luna's forehead. She closed her eyes and concentrated with all of her might on the spell she had learned, letting it build and build and finally letting it go. A jet of purple light flew from her horn, as well as what looked like a lightning bolt. Twilight was thrown back against the far wall and nearly knocked out. She slowly got up and tentatively touched her forehead; her eyes were still watering in pain. As she shook her head to try and clear it, she felt a gentle hoof upon her chin. She forced her eyes to open and saw Luna smiling serenely down at her.

"Luna!" she yelled, and she threw herself at the dark blue alicorn, all decorum forgotten.

"Yes, Twilight!" Luna cooed as she held Twilight tightly against her. "I'm here. And I'm okay."

The feast celebrating Luna's return to consciousness lasted for several days. Princess Celestia invited every royal pony in the kingdom to celebrate; of course, Twilight sat at the head of the table with the two alicorns as a guest of the highest honor. Luna's mental health seemed to have improved for the time she had spent unconscious. She could talk at length with everypony, smiling genially and looking happier than anyone had ever seen her. On the second day of the feast, she flew upwards and rose the moon quite high into the sky. Twilight thought she had never seen a more beautiful moon in all her days. Sitting high up at the feast table were Twilight's five friends, her brother, and Jack. He spent most of the celebration looking pleased but embarassed to be held in such high esteem, and checking how his mane looked in the shining dinner plates.

"So, uh, what's going on with you and this Jack feller?" Applejack surreptitiously asked Twilight between courses one evening.

"Oh, it's nothing, really...it's..."

Twilight caught Jack's eye and smiled; his sheepish returning smile made her stomach flip.

"Well...maybe not nothing" she said, grinning at Applejack.

As the last of the guests left the castle at midday, four days after Twilight's great feat of magic, Celestia beckoned Twilight over. She instinctively ran to her mentor, but stopped short, remembering that Celestia had attempted to kill her not a few days before.

"Yes, Princess?" she said quietly but a little defiantly.

"I can't thank you enough for curing my dear sister, Twilight. It means the world to me that she is back to her full health. I know that letting you perform magic on her in the first place was foolish of me, and I take responsibility for what happened."

"Oh, Princess...I shouldn't have put so much stock in myself. I mean, what if I had..." Twilight didn't want to think about what else could have happened to Luna because of her. "I'm just glad that I could make everything right again."

Celestia's head dipped lower so she was at Twilight's level. "And I apologize, Twilight, from the bottom of my heart, for treating you so callously. I shouldn't have banished you from my kingdom for something that was mostly my fault...I shouldn't have let myself be swayed by emotions. But it seems I have a soft spot when it comes to my little sister."

She gazed fondly up at the tower where Luna was peacefully sleeping. "You have every right to refuse after the way I've behaved...but would you like to be my student again?"

Twilight's eyes widened at Celestia's words. This was all she had wanted, all she had hoped for...

"I don't think so, Princess. At least, not right now. I need some time to think about what I want to be, what I want to accomplish. Being your student...it's a lot of pressure, and I'm not sure I can handle it right now. The last few weeks have been the hardest of my life, and right now, I just want to relax and catch up with my friends."

"And Jack?" Celestia said teasingly.

Twilight giggled. "Yes, and spend some time with Jack."

"He's a fine stallion, Twilight. There aren't many who would have come all this way with you. He must really care for you."

Her heart twinged. "I hope so, Princess. Maybe...after I've had some time to just be a pony, I can be your student again."

"I would like that very much, Twilight. But whatever you do, know that I am here, as your guide, and that I will never doubt you again."

Twilight wished she could believe that with no hesitation, but it would take some time for her to trust Celestia again. Nevertheless, she still regarded her as an amazing leader and mentor. Her eyes stung with tears, and she rested her head against Celestia's soft white chest. "I missed you so much, Princess."

"I missed you too, my dear student. Now go and think about all that's happened. And spend time with your friends." Twilight smiled and started to walk towards her five friends and Jack, who were waiting for her farther along.

"Twilight...I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive what I've done" Celestia whispered to herself, as she turned and walked into the castle.

"What did the princess say?" asked Rarity as Twilight caught up with them.

"She said I needed a vacation from being her student, and that I'm always welcome back."

"Will you go back?" asked Jack as he sidled up next to Twilight.

Twilight took one last look at Canterlot Castle. "I'll just have to figure that out, Jack."

She nuzzled Jack's neck playfully, and he nibbled on her mane in response.

"If you two are going to act that way while you're staying at the boutique, I will have to send Sweetie Belle away. She's much too young to see such things. Not that I mind sending her away..."

Rarity's voice trailed off as the seven ponies made their way back to Ponyville.

_A/N: This thing is finally done! I'm not totally happy with the ending, but this story has taken me way too long to write. I hope you're all happy with it, and thank you for staying with the story to the end._


End file.
